Diverse group of pilots of different ages ready at the launch site — showing the wide age range that paragliding accommodates
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Planning Guide
Paragliding Age and Weight Limits — What You Need to Know
Behrooz JafarzadehJune 20267 min read
The weight and age questions come up on almost every booking. They are practical and important, and the internet tends to give vague or inconsistent answers — partly because limits vary between operators and partly because some schools avoid publishing specifics to avoid awkward conversations. This is what actually applies for tandem flights and courses with Fly with Behrooz from Sesimbra, and why each limit exists.
Weight Limits for Tandem Paragliding
The standard upper weight limit for tandem paragliding is 100 kg (220 lbs) for the passenger. This is not an arbitrary number. It exists for three specific reasons.
First, the tandem harness is a certified piece of safety equipment with a rated load capacity. Exceeding that rating puts structural stress on components that are designed and tested to specific limits. Second, the tandem wing itself has a certified total flying weight range — the combined weight of pilot, passenger, and equipment must fall within the window where the wing performs as tested. A significantly overloaded wing handles differently: its stall speed rises, its glide is affected, and its behaviour in turbulence changes in ways that are harder to manage. Third, the landing. In a tandem paraglider, the pilot and passenger share a landing impact. A very heavy passenger increases the force of that impact on both people.
The minimum weight for a tandem passenger is approximately 40–45 kg. This is primarily about harness fit: below this weight, it becomes difficult to achieve a secure, correctly-loaded harness configuration. Children who are physically small rather than light are generally assessed on a case-by-case basis — the limiting factor is usually harness fit across the chest and shoulders, not weight alone.
What matters for total aircraft weight is the combined figure: pilot plus passenger plus equipment. Behrooz, as the pilot, carries his own weight in that calculation. If you are close to the 100 kg passenger limit, the conversation is worth having directly — in most cases the combined weight still falls within the wing's certification range, and the flight is straightforward. The limit only becomes a firm constraint if the combined total approaches the wing's maximum rated all-up weight.
Age Limits for Tandem Paragliding
There is no upper age limit for tandem paragliding. This is one of the few areas where the answer is genuinely simple. As long as someone can sit upright in a harness, follow basic instructions, and is not subject to a medical contraindication (more on this below), age is not a barrier. Passengers in their seventies and eighties have flown tandem at Sesimbra. The oldest tend to be the most delighted — something about the experience resonates differently when you have a longer perspective on what it means to do something you never expected to do.
The minimum age for a tandem flight is approximately 5–6 years old as a physiological floor, but the relevant question for younger children is less about age and more about temperament and capacity for simple instruction-following. A child who can understand "run forward when I say go, and when I say feet up, lift your legs" and who can follow those instructions reliably is a viable tandem candidate. A nervous or easily overwhelmed child who cannot process instruction under mild stress is not — not because of the flight itself, but because the launch requires a brief moment of coordinated action. Most children aged 10 and above handle this easily. Children between 6 and 10 are assessed individually. Parents know their child best.
Parameter
Minimum
Maximum
Notes
Passenger weight
~40–45 kg (88–99 lbs)
~100 kg (220 lbs)
Combined pilot + passenger must stay within wing's certified all-up weight range
Passenger age
~5–6 years (physiological); 10+ recommended
No upper limit
Young children assessed on temperament and ability to follow instructions
Harness fit
Must achieve secure fit across chest and shoulders
—
Primary constraint for very small or very large passengers
Medical clearance
—
—
Some conditions require doctor sign-off or are absolute contraindications; see below
Weight Limits for EP Courses (Learning to Fly Solo)
For students learning to fly independently on an Elementary Pilot (EP) course, the practical weight range for most standard training wings runs from roughly 55 kg to 130 kg — modern EN-A wings come in multiple sizes and that full range is covered when you pick the right size for the pilot. The important point is not a single number but that every student needs to fly a wing that fits their weight correctly within its certified range.
Students at the heavier end don't fly a different type of wing — they fly a larger size of the same EN-A. A pilot at 110 kg will fly a size M or L EN-A with a certified weight range that includes them. What changes is the equipment selection conversation, which Behrooz works through with each student individually before the course starts. If your weight puts you near either end of the range, tell him your honest weight when you enquire. The question is: which wing size fits you correctly, and is it available for your course dates?
Very light students — below about 55 kg — are at the other end. Some training wings have a minimum recommended flying weight, and a pilot below it may find the wing handles sluggishly. Again, this is an equipment question with a solution, not a barrier.
Age Limits for EP Courses
The minimum age to begin an EP paragliding course varies by country and school. In Portugal, the practical norm is:
16 years old to enrol and fly independently without parental involvement
14 years old with written parental consent and a parent or guardian present during the course
Under 14: not accepted for EP courses at Fly with Behrooz
There is no upper age limit for EP courses either. Fitness and coordination matter more than age. Paragliding does not require significant physical strength — it requires spatial awareness, the ability to learn from feedback, patience with a skill that develops over days rather than minutes, and enough physical mobility to perform a brisk run and sit comfortably in a harness for extended periods. People learn to fly solo in their fifties, sixties, and beyond.
Near the weight limit? Here's what to do
Do not guess, and do not misrepresent your weight. The harness and wing are calibrated, and the difference between a comfortable flight and an unsafe one can be a matter of kilograms at the margin. The right move is to contact Behrooz directly before booking. Give him your honest weight, mention whether it's for a tandem flight or a course, and let him confirm the configuration that works for you. This is a practical conversation he has regularly. There is no judgment attached to it, and a clear answer in advance is much better than an awkward conversation on the day.
Medical Considerations
Age and weight aside, certain medical conditions affect whether paragliding is appropriate. For tandem flights, the relevant question is whether you can sit upright in a harness, take a short run at launch, and tolerate the physical position of the flight (reclined, harness-supported, feet occasionally hanging) for 15–30 minutes. Most people can. The conditions that genuinely prevent a tandem flight are:
Active or unstable heart conditions — particularly those where sudden exertion or mild adrenaline spikes carry risk
Recent back or spinal surgery — the harness loads the lumbar and thoracic spine in ways that can be contraindicated post-operatively
Severe osteoporosis — the landing, even a gentle one, involves a brief impact that may not be appropriate
Conditions affecting the ability to sit upright and hold a landing position — including certain neurological or musculoskeletal conditions
Pregnancy — not recommended at any stage
Epilepsy — assessed case by case; well-controlled epilepsy with appropriate medication may be acceptable, but requires a conversation
If you are unsure whether a condition applies to you, the right sequence is: check with your doctor first, then contact Behrooz with whatever information your doctor gives you. A note saying "cleared for moderate physical activity with no height restrictions" is usually sufficient for tandem flight. Behrooz is not a medical professional and cannot assess your fitness to fly, but he can tell you what the flight involves physically so that your doctor can make an informed call.
Children — What Age Is Really Appropriate
The physiological minimum and the practical recommendation are different things, and it's worth being honest about this. A child of 6 can technically fly in a tandem harness. Whether they will enjoy it — and whether they will remember it as a positive experience — depends almost entirely on temperament rather than age.
Children who do best in tandem paragliding tend to share a few characteristics: they are comfortable with heights or at least not actively afraid of them, they can follow simple instructions reliably when slightly excited, and they have the capacity to sit relatively still and look around rather than panicking or demanding to go down immediately. A confident, curious 6-year-old who regularly climbs trees and looks off rooftops without distress may have an extraordinary experience. A nervous 8-year-old who already dislikes heights and is only agreeing to please a parent is going to have a bad time, and so will the pilot.
Parents know their child. If you are genuinely uncertain, it is worth having a brief conversation with Behrooz about what the experience involves before deciding.
What Happens If You Are Over the Limit
The honest answer: the flight won't happen on that day with that equipment configuration. This is not a policy that can be bent by goodwill or persistence. Wing load limits and harness certification ratings are safety-critical parameters. Operating outside them is not a judgement call that gets made on the ground when someone is standing there ready to fly — it is a line that doesn't move.
What is worth doing if you are near or over the limit is calling first, before you travel to Sesimbra. Some situations that look like hard limits are actually equipment questions with solutions. A passenger at 105 kg may be accommodatable with a different harness configuration or a wing with a higher rated weight range. A very tall passenger who doesn't fit the standard harness may fit a different size. Edge cases exist, and some of them have practical resolutions. The time to discover whether yours does is before you arrive, not on the launch slope.
Contact Behrooz via WhatsApp with your specifics. He will give you a straight answer, and if there is a workable solution he will tell you what it is.
Not Sure If You Qualify? Ask Behrooz Directly
If you or someone in your group is near any limit, a direct conversation is always better than guessing. Behrooz can give you a clear answer based on specifics.
